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Fight fans warned to expect ‘smash and grab’ in Sandton

Hadebe puts ABU title on line against Paulo

Smangele Hadebe exchanges leather with Thema Zuma before being crowned SA champ.
Smangele Hadebe exchanges leather with Thema Zuma before being crowned SA champ.
Image: Steven Makwakwa

Warning: Valuable boxing titles are at risk because a “Smash and Grab” incident is about to take place.

Doubting Thomases better show up at The Galleria in Sandton on August 25 to witness Smangele “Smash and Grab” Hadebe dish out boxing lessons.

She will be defending her ABU flyweight title for the first time after she won it in February. Her victory against Halima Vunjabel made Hadebe, from KwaThema in Springs, the first local woman boxer to win a fully fledged ABU title.

Hadebe will welcome Tanzanian Stumai Muki Paulo in the ESPN Africa 19 tournament, which will comprise seven  women bouts. 

Hadebe, who was voted Boxing SA Prospect of the Year, is under the management of Colleen McAusland, who rewrote the history of Boxing SA’s awards by becoming the first woman to win the Manager of the Year award in 2018.

McAusland described Hadebe as the best in the country. “She is the only girl here who has what it takes. She’s in her own league; she’s just different from others and we want to do our best to make it possible for her to reach for her dreams, which is to win a world title.”

She said Hadebe, who also holds the SA title, trains three times a week with Vusi Mtolo and twice with Riaaz Bhayat. “She also attends session with our strength and conditioning coach Andre van Heerden twice a week. Vusi is the technical trainer while Riaaz is her fitness trainer,” said MacAusland.

She also warned that the venue for Hadebe’s upcoming fight could be too small for fans. “The mayor from Midvaal sees her as  a local hero and the municipality wants to bus in supporters to Sandton. People love her.

“We’ve got big plans for her. We will set up a gym for her and Don Juan van Heerden in Walkerville where Smash lives so she and Don can start training clients when they are not fighting.

“What saddens me is she is not getting the accolades she deserves. You know it yourself that she is the first to win the fully fledged ABU title. But what did Boxing SA do for her – absolute nothing. She’s just a good ambassador for boxing.”

In the main supporting bout, Malawian Ellen “Tigress” Simwaka will put her IBF Africa bantamweight title on line against Patience Mastara from Zimbabwe.

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